Eat the Rainbow

By Jodie Parus, RD, LD

To this day, I cannot have a monochromatic plate; meaning I have to have at least 3 different colored foods on my plate. This habit was established at a young age with the help of my mom. Every meal had to have a green vegetable and now I keep up with that rule along with adding another color vegetable as well.

Children eat with their eyes. A colorful plate is more appealing and more fun to eat. It also provides an array of vitamins, minerals and nutrients. Let your kids be part of the decision making process by giving them choices of colorful fruits and vegetables to select from for their meal. They will love being involved and this helps create healthy eating patterns.

Research on food preferences, from Cornell University, has found that the choices made by parents for their children have enormous impact on their future diet and food choices. In addition, there is abundant research supporting the idea that the scope of the parent's palate determines the extent of the child's.

Interestingly, adults prefer three components and three colors to be on their plate, while children prefer seven components and six colors. Fill their plates with color and make it a tradition to "eat the rainbow."

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